


Tony Stark Tries to De-Stress

by BeeboIsHigh



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 2012 avengers tower fic, 2019 edition, Because I'm the author, Bisexual Tony Stark, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Deaf Clint Barton, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Minor Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Minor Clint Barton/Tony Stark, Minor Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark - Freeform, Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Not Canon Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, They love each other, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tony is stupid, Two disaster gays taking care of one disaster bi, What else is new, Why?, and i do what i want, let me be happy, main six avengers and also bucky, steve has to take care of him, tony is dying inside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19966957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeboIsHigh/pseuds/BeeboIsHigh
Summary: Thor has taken Bruce to Asgard to study their science, and a very stressed Tony Stark is left behind with Clint, Natasha, Bucky, and Steve. The remainder of the team now has to deal with an overtired and recently aggravated Tony, and it isn't flowing too well with them. Before their sanity deserts them, they come up with ways to help Tony out.OrThe one where Tony needs love and actually receives it.





	Tony Stark Tries to De-Stress

**Author's Note:**

> Hello it's your least favorite writer back on her bullshit. Thanks for being a good bro and reading this! Feedback is always loved. Please leave kudos if you liked this, it literally took a month of my life, and I'm really proud of it.

Tony Stark is stressed. He has too many things to worry about, and too few hours of sleep. This leads to him taking out his anger on the team. His temper has gotten worse, and he snaps at everyone. Needless to say, the team got sick of his shit after a few days. While he was working in his lab, Clint, Natasha, Bucky, and Steve sat in the living room of the Avengers tower and discussed what to do about it.

"Tony is out of control, yesterday he yelled at me for asking if he could take a look at my hearing aids because they were acting up. I don't know what to do, I can't hear out of my left ear and I'm scared he's gonna murder me if I ask for help," Clint began. Everyone listened and thought about their own experiences with Tony recently.

"He was about to pass out when I checked in on him yesterday morning. I don't think he's been sleeping," Steve added. 

"He was really aggressive while we were sparring yesterday. Actually managed to land a few hits on me," Natasha contributed.

"I heard loud screaming coming from the lab at 3 AM last night. Woke me and Steve up," Bucky said. Everyone looked at each other and knew that they had to do something to calm down their genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. He was obsessing over a new suit, and it was taking a serious toll on his mental health, as well as everyone else's. 

"A smack in the head could work," Clint mumbled, or at least tried to mumble, as he was partially deaf at the moment, making his statement much louder than intended. Natasha glared at him, knowing that while he was being sarcastic, he was dumb enough to act on it and get Tony in an even worse mood. 

"Well, we could help him de-stress. I mean, we all have our own things that we do to calm down. Maybe one will work on him. It's worth a try," Steve said, breaking the awkward silence. Everyone nodded in agreement, deciding unanimously that it was dumb enough to work without making things worse in the process. "But," Steve added, "The first thing we have to do is convince him that he has a problem." The whole group groaned, knowing that had potential to be difficult. They had to catch him at a time where he would be less likely to fight back.

"Let's get him when he's done working today," Nat suggested. The group all stated their agreement and began to come up with ideas to help their friend.

~~~

Tony crawled out of his lab for dinner. He had been making successful upgrades to his suit that day, but he was set back by a small miscalculation in the width of a part he had to make. He didn't expect to see a pair of supersoldiers and two assassins waiting outside the door for him. "What do you want?" He asked, a hint of aggression in his voice. He had no time for something stupid tonight. 

"You have a problem," Natasha stated, staring at him with her no nonsense interrogation look she had perfected over the years. The look worked and Tony shied away from his intimidating stance for a split second. When it returned, it was ever so slightly shakier.

Steve continued the statement, "You've been really stressed lately, and you've taken it all out on us. We love you Tony, and we're concerned. You're bringing everyone down and we're sick of your attitude."

Tony, still afraid of Nat managed to say, "What do you mean? I'm acting like I always do." 

"No, you're not," Bucky said. "You're being a real jerk recently. We hear you yelling while you're working, we know that you don't sleep, and we all have been treated really badly recently. Hell, Clint needed you to fix his hearing aids and you got mad at him. That's not like you." His tone left no argument, after all, it was the exact same one he had to use back in the days before the war to get Steve to listen to him.

Tony looked at Clint, who nodded, confirming what Bucky had said. "Shit..." He whispered. He didn't even remember yelling at Clint. He didn't really remember anything from the last week. Just bits and pieces of frustrations and working on his suit. 

"We decided that we're gonna help you. Each of us has come up with a way to calm you down, and we all decided to try them out on you every day after you finish working. If you don't like the way we try, that's fine. We just want you to be calmer. It's for your own good, Tony," Steve said in a gentle, yet firm tone, as if Tony was a stubborn child.

"It's worth a try," Clint said, voice a bit louder than it should be. Everyone looked at him, and he realized that his working hearing aid was going too. "Shit, I thought it was only the left one that was screwing up." That was the last little push Tony needed to realize that he had been a bit more jerky than usual. He made up his mind to let everyone help, after all, maybe it could be good for him. _Did he just agree with four avengers without a fight? Wow, he was definitely not himself._

"Fine, I'll let you guys try. Clint, give me your hearing aids," Tony said, taking the hearing aids from Clint and walking back into his lab. I'll be out as soon as these are working again," Tony yelled. 

"I think that went well," Natasha said, looking at the others. 

"But how long will he be working in there?" Bucky asked, wondering if Tony would be gone the whole night again.

"No idea. Let's go have dinner. JARVIS, tell us when Tony leaves his lab," Steve said, before walking toward the dining room. Bucky shook his head, muttering a statement about Steve and his metabolism, before turning to leave.

"Yes, Mr. Rogers," JARVIS responded. Everyone else filed out after Steve, except for Clint who decided to sit in front of the door and wait. Natasha looked at her best friend/unofficial boyfriend and sighed, walking back to sit with him. Clint tended to get bored quickly when he couldn't hear. She put her hand on his back as she sat down, alerting him of her presence. He flinched but looked over at her and smiled, he knew she would always look out for him. 

~~~

An hour later, Tony stumbled out of his lab, effectively hitting Clint with the door. Clint startled from the nap he was taking on Nat's shoulder and fell over. "Tony!" Nat yelled. Tony looked at her and mouthed "sorry", before touching Clint's back to alert him of his presence and handing him his fixed hearing aids.

Clint put them in, thanked Tony, and then turned to Nat. "It's my turn tonight, I'll take care of him," Clint said. Natasha nodded, said a quick goodnight to the both of them and went to finally eat.

When Nat had gone, Tony turned to Clint and said, "So... what idea do you have in mind?" 

"Let's go up to your room for this one," Clint responded, grabbing Tony by the hand and dragging him to the elevator. 

"Woah, didn't know you swung that way, Clint," Tony teased. He heard a disappointed sigh at the innuendo, but no comment from Clint. 

Once they were in Tony's bedroom, Clint shut the door and said, "Take off your shirt." 

"What? Dude, I think you're attractive and all, and it's not like I have anything against sleeping with men, but you're like my brother-"

"Tony, I wouldn't sleep with you unless I was all kinds of fucked up. I'm giving you a massage. I do it for Nat after fights and whenever she wakes up from nightmares."

"Oh," Tony replied, pulling off his shirt and standing awkwardly in front of Clint. 

"Go ahead and lay down on your stomach, I'll get what I use for Nat," Clint said, before walking out of the room to get the lotion he used for Natasha. She didn't like the fancy oils, and preferred a simple, scentless lotion instead. He knew Tony had every person's products in his own bathroom, for the sake of experimentation. Clint still grabbed the lotion he used for Nat, deciding to play it safe and use something he knew perfectly well about. He then washed his hands and grabbed the bottle, walking back into the large bedroom.

When he returned, Clint saw Tony lying down on the bed, the way he had asked. Tony looked tired, and Clint wouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep before the massage was over. "Hey, birdbrain, I know it's quite the view, but are you gonna do anything or just stare?" Tony taunted, words slightly muffled by the pillow he had his face leaning against. Clint sighed, walked over, and sat on the backs of Tony's thighs, setting the bottle he was holding next to him.

"Is it cool if I sit here?" Clint asked, making himself comfortable.

"Knock yourself out," Tony responded, adjusting to the weight. He heard the bottle open, and felt a cool liquid be evenly spread across his back. Clint got to work, spreading the lotion around, and starting at Tony's shoulders, getting the many knots out. 

Tony let out a sigh as Clint worked, asking,"Where did you learn this?"

"Internet. Nat needed something to get her out of her mind, and she'd always calm down when I did something involving physical contact with her. This seemed like a decent option," Clint replied, moving down from Tony's shoulders.

"Is Natasha okay...well...as okay as she could be? How often does stuff like this happen?" Tony continued. He loved Natasha dearly, she was a close friend of his, and he worried often about her mental state. Everyone had their own demons and messed up past, but hers was definitely a contender for the worst. She wasn't here, and Clint knew her best, so he figured now was the best time to hear anything truthful about her welfare.

"We all have PTSD here, Tony. None of us are actually okay. Besides, she's been doing better as time passes. The more good we do, the more reassured she feels that she's making up for the bad she did. I love her a lot, Tones. Anything I can do for her, I do. She trusts me, and I know it means a great deal to her that only the ones she trusts can touch her and see her at her realest state."

There was silence after Clint spoke. After a while, Tony broke it by saying, "I care about her too. I just want her to be okay. I want us all to be okay. Even though that's a bit much to ask in our line of work." Clint nodded, still working on Tony's back. 

Clint hummed in response so Tony knew he heard, and silence settled in the room again. Tony remained quiet as Clint kept working on his back, doing his best to get Tony out of his head.

"Feeling any better yet? Maybe a little less like an asshole?" Clint asked, noticing Tony was starting to drift off.

"Peachy," Tony mumbled, closing his eyes and relaxing. Clint kept going until he heard Tony's breathing slow, accompanied by a soft snore. Clint slowly eased himself off Tony's thighs, picking up the bottle of lotion and going to the sink to wash his hands again. He grabbed a blanket, put it over Tony, and turned off the lights on his way out. 

Clint made his way down to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. On the way there, he ran into Bucky sitting on the couch, watching SpongeBob on TV, a sleeping Steve resting against him. "Did it work?" Bucky whispered at Clint.

"He's sleeping like a rock, poor thing was exhausted," Clint responded, smiling at THE Captain America, who was drooling on himself in his sleep.

Bucky followed his gaze and smiled fondly at Steve, before replying, "Good. See you in the morning, somebody's an old man who can't make it until midnight anymore." Bucky nudged Steve who squeezed Bucky a bit harder and settled again. Clint mumbled out a goodnight, before taking out his hearing aids and putting them in his pockets, enjoying the quiet. He stole a sandwich from the refrigerator and went to Natasha's room, plopping himself on her bed and eating his dinner.

"How was it?" Nat signed at Clint, before pulling the sandwich out of his hands and taking a bite. 

"Good. He's sleeping now," Clint signed back, waiting until Nat was finished before reclaiming his sandwich.

Natasha stared at him for a minute, before signing, "You did feed him, right?" Clint froze and it was enough for Natasha to know the answer. "Damn it, Clint," She mumbled and fell backwards onto her bed. 

Clint looked at her sheepishly and signed, "Sorry." He finished his sandwich and lied down with Natasha, holding her hand. It was easier for him to stay with her at night. It seemed to help with the nightmares, and that was a good enough reason for them.

JARVIS dimmed their lights when Natasha asked, and the tower was silent except for the television in the living room, still playing cartoons for a one-armed insomniac.

~~~

The next morning, Tony woke up feeling much better than usual. He was being much nicer, even allowing Steve to steal a sip of his coffee. The good attitude went downhill when he lost an important part in his workshop that afternoon. He gave up finding it after an hour and spent another hour looking for a new one. After he found the new one, the old one turned up. While searching, he managed to misplace more items, and the cycle repeated itself for a while. This was a cause for frustration, and the others noticed when they dragged him to dinner. He was snappy and annoyed again, speaking only in short, sharp sentences.

After they ate, Natasha grabbed Tony's hand and said, "You got me tonight." Tony nodded and let himself be taken to his room, not about to argue with her; he didn't REALLY have a deathwish.

"You smell," Natasha said, walking to the giant bathroom and sitting on the floor, looking through the cabinets.

"Thanks. What are we doing?" Tony replied impatiently, with a hint of aggression in his voice. Natasha glared at him before pulling out a bottle from the cabinet.

"I am giving you a bath because you smell like sweat and motor oil. And what the hell do you have stuck in your hair? When was the last time you brushed it? Whatever, I'll take care of that too. Strip," Natasha ordered. 

"What is it with you people and me taking off my clothes?" Tony complained, beginning to pull off his shirt anyway.

"We've all seen each other naked before, and you especially have some scandalous pictures on the internet. Now, strip and wait by the tub," Natasha said, starting the water and adding the bubble bath she picked out into the tub. Tony complied and stood there while Natasha checked the temperature of the water. Once the tub was full of warm water and too many bubbles, Tony got in. From this moment on, Nat knew that Tony would be obedient and drop the attitude.

Tony almost moaned at how good the warm water felt against his sore muscles. He closed his eyes and sighed. Natasha smiled and picked up the rest of the supplies she needed for the bath. She took a washcloth and put an expensive soap on it. "Give me your arm," She said in a soft tone. Tony complied and held his arm out for Natasha to scrub the dirt off. Natasha continued doing this for the rest of his body, and then got to his hair. Tony was already drowsy by that point and sighed when Natasha massaged his favorite shampoo into his scalp.

"Thank you," Tony whispered, relaxing into Natasha's hands. She smiled at him, watching him lean into her touch like a cat. 

"You needed this," She responded, continuing to massage his head, even though his hair was clean enough. After a while, she rinsed the soap out of his hair and the rest of his body with the shower head. She held his hand as she helped him out of the tub. He was loose and pliant, standing still while she dried him off. She wrapped him in a big fluffy towel and led him to sit on the bed.

"Where did this idea come from?" Tony asked, a peaceful look on his tired face.

"Warm water always makes me think I'm floating and it makes me feel almost peaceful. It's good after fighting. Baths are the best when someone gives one to you. It makes you feel cared for. We could all use one after a long day. It's what you need, Tony."

"Who gave you a bath to make you feel this way, because you're definitely right," Tony asked, taking the towel off and lying down on the bed, wrapping himself into a blanket burrito.

"Steve. It was after he saw me have a panic attack one night. Clint was already passed out, and I was about to drop, so he decided that I needed something to distract me. Said his mom and Bucky had done it for him," Natasha responded.

"You sure he didn't just want to see you naked again?" Tony teased.

"Nah, he doesn't seem to go much for women anyways. We're all close friends here, at this rate nothing seems weird," Nat said, petting Tony's hair.

Tony was getting tired, and Natasha could easily tell. She pet him until he dozed off. "JARVIS, turn off the lights," Nat said, sneaking out of Tony's room. She went down to the living room, seeing Bucky lying on the floor completing a puzzle of New York. Just then, Steve walked out of the kitchen, holding a bag of chips. 

"How'd it go?" Steve asked, sitting on the couch and opening the bag.

"Good, he's passed out again."

"Great," Steve said through a mouthful of chips.

Natasha rolled her eyes at his manners and turned to look at the two, finding it strange how they were some of the deadliest men in the world, yet they were acting like normal humans. Finally, she spoke, "Goodnight guys, I'm gonna go upstairs and watch Doctor Who with Clint. See you in the morning."

The super soldiers said their goodnights and returned to what they were doing. Natasha went up to her room, seeing an assassin wrapped up in every blanket she owned lying on her bed. She looked at the blanket burrito and nudged it. Clint popped his head out the end of it and smiled. Nat pat him on the head, then picked up the blob and moved it so she could sit on the bed and see her TV. Nothing needed to be spoken between them for Clint to know that Natasha's idea worked. Her face still showed her fondness for a sleepy, kinder Tony. It was the same look she gave him when he was drowsy and doing silly things out of sleep deprivation. They sat and watched TV until Clint began snoring, Natasha giving the loud blob next to her the infamous adoring look.

~~~

Once again, Tony woke up feeling at peace and well rested. He waltzed into the dining room and gave Natasha a kiss on the cheek as a thank you for the night before. She smiled and gave him a pat on the arm while everyone stared. Steve broke the silence first by saying, "So....either Nat's plan worked or you were abducted and replaced overnight." Tony rolled his eyes and walked over to Steve to give him an affectionate smack on the arm. 

Breakfast went well, and when it was time for them to practice sparring, Tony was energetic and fighting better than before Nat and Clint helped him. Prior to the last few nights, Tony's punches were thrown with anger and no finesse, just pure aggression. Now, he was putting thought into his hits, mind no longer clouded with built up rage. Everything was going well, until lab time came again. Tony's good mood evaporated when he tested out the new flight system in the suit he was making. It wasn't tuned correctly, and Tony ended up being violently thrown into a wall, luckily still inside the suit, which absorbed most of the blow with its shock absorbers. He still ended up with a headache, a dented wall, and more work to do regarding the suit's flight systems.

The team became aware of this when a loud scream of anger/terror was heard as a startling crash resounded throughout the tower. They rushed down to see what happened and when they came into the lab, they found Tony sitting on the floor staring at the wall and the suit, both in need of repair. He had tears in his eyes, a mixture of frustration, pain, and he didn't even know what. 

Everybody was unsure of what to do for a moment, until Bucky calmly called for Tony. Tony turned to look at them and sniffled before saying a childish sounding, "Go away."

"No," Bucky responded, standing his ground. After years of dealing with a small ball of hate that had beef with half of Brooklyn, he had learned that a stubborn idiot who had just been hurt shouldn't be left alone with his thoughts. He turned to the rest of the team and said, "I got this, I have experience in this area. You guys go ahead." Everybody nodded and walked out, knowing that Bucky alone would probably do more than all of them fussing over Tony at once, overwhelming him.

"Just go," Tony said, not bothering to move as Bucky came up to him. Bucky ignored him and picked him up like a small child, restraining him so all he could do was squirm and make empty threats.

Bucky carried him all the way up to Tony's room, not letting him go until he was plopped onto his bed. When Tony tried to get up, Bucky grabbed him again and said, "Stay." It was firm, and left no room for any argument. Tony growled but did as told, watching Bucky rifle through his medicine cabinet. 

Bucky returned with a pill and a glass of water. JARVIS would have alerted them if Tony was in need of medical assistance, and he had been lucky enough to avoid a concussion. "Here, take this, you'll feel better," Bucky said, offering the pill and the water. Tony obeyed again, knowing he was in no position to escape. "Thank you," Bucky mumbled, relieved that Tony knew his place at the moment.

"So, you look like you need something to calm you down, and I had a plan for tonight. I'm gonna do that now, and we can call it an early night," Bucky said. Tony tried to nod, wincing as he did so. 

Bucky sat down on the bed with Tony and pulled Tony's favorite blanket out of the many crowding his bed. He wrapped him up in it, Tony rolling his eyes the whole time, but still complying. Once Tony was secured in a warm cocoon, Bucky got off the bed and went to the food cabinet in Tony's room (midnight snacks without leaving the comfort of your own room were the best), rifling through it and pulling out a box of cookies and a bottle of water. Bucky walked back to Tony, placing the items on the bedside table and then moving to the bathroom. He spent a moment there, looking through cabinets and eventually returning with a brush and hair accessories. 

"Really?" Tony said, eyeing the items Bucky brought back. A stern look made Tony immediately look down and away, muttering an apology. _How the hell did Bucky learn to do that?_

"Steve likes to do my hair when I'm having a bad day, and while you don't exactly have as much as me, I can still do something with it. Trust me, it works. Go ahead and eat, you never came out for lunch today."

There was a brief moment of nothing but the sounds of Tony opening the box and eating, but it was soon broken by Tony saying, "What are you gonna do with my hair?"

Bucky smiled at that. "I'm gonna brush it out and see how many of these flowers I can put in it. You'll look adorable."

Tony snorted. "And that'll take what, five minutes?" His statement was quickly retracted when Bucky threaded his fingers through Tony's hair, finding many knots. Tony winced.

"Don't worry, this'll be taken care of. Just focus on me and your cookies." Bucky set to work on Tony's hair, surprised at how messy it managed to get, with it's short length, a person would expect it to be mostly neat and easy to detangle. Nat had just washed it last night, making Bucky's job much easier than it would've been if there were still bits of oil matted into his hair. Bucky slowly and gently worked on Tony's tangled hair, ensuring that there was no discomfort. Once the knots were out, Bucky began working on the flowers. They were small, and had a tiny clip on their backs, making them easy to put in Tony's short hair. Tony ate while Bucky worked, eventually putting down the cookies and opting to speak instead of eat.

"Where did you find these flowers anyways? I didn't even know I had them," Tony asked.

"Last time we were all up here I had my hair done up. Took the flowers out in your bathroom because they started falling out on their own. Decided to leave them there since everyone else had their own things there." 

"What do you mean that everyone has their own things in my bathroom? I only keep extras of all their soaps and things."

"Nat had some makeup, a pair of Bruce's spare glasses were in a drawer, Clint's extra toothbrush was hiding in a plastic bag, Steve had some hair gel in another drawer, and there was some type of Asgardian looking thing stuffed in a cabinet. You really need to pay more attention to your tower, Tony. Everybody has kinda merged into this state of 'what's mine is yours'."

"It's not my fault that my bathroom became the community storage unit. I knew I shouldn't have made it so big." Tony said the last part under his breath, wondering what else could be hiding in his room under his nose. He didn't like the feeling and shuddered at the thoughts that popped up. 

Bucky worked on Tony's hair for a while before finally saying, "Done. You look like a princess." Tony's hair had been brushed to perfection, and flowers of many pastel colors were evenly spread through it, making him look almost like a character from a Disney movie. He couldn't see, but he trusted Bucky enough to believe that it looked decent. 

"Take a picture, I wanna see."

"Why don't you just get up and walk to the mirror?"

"Too lazy."

"Fair enough."

Bucky took Tony's phone from the bedside table and took a few photos of Tony, who was smiling adorably, with his blanket wrapped around him and the flowers in his hair. He showed them to Tony, who laughed a bit and said, "Alright, capsicle 2.0, it looks pretty good." Bucky smiled at that and enjoyed how Tony's mood was much more playful than before. 

"Do you want me to take the flowers out?" 

"Leave them a bit longer?"

Bucky smiled at that. "Do you want me to stick around a bit longer, or are you sick of me yet?"

"Would it be too much to ask for you to stay and tell me embarrassing stories about Steve?"

"Definitely not." 

The two men exchanged stories about Steve and the dumb things he'd done. Those stories branched off into ones about their teammates and the conversations didn't dull down until near midnight. They had stopped for a quick food break, sneaking into the kitchen around eight, unspotted by the other three who were in the gaming room engaged in playing Mario Party. But now, Tony was tired, and Bucky knew he would drop any minute. He took the flowers out of Tony's hair, knowing they would be uncomfortable to sleep on, and he dragged him to the bathroom to brush his teeth after eating so many sweets that evening. 

When Tony was finally settled in bed, he passed out almost instantly. Bucky gave him a kiss on the forehead and went downstairs. Everyone was still in the game room, but the TV had been turned off and a pillow fort had been built. When Bucky tried to go inside, a messy haired Clint popped out. "What's the password?" He asked.

"I have pictures of Tony with flowers in his hair." Clint turned to the others in the impressive fort. Bucky sat on the ground awkwardly, waiting to see what they said.

Hushed whispers were heard between the three before Clint turned back to Bucky and said, "You may be granted entry." Bucky crawled inside and pulled out his phone. He had sent the pictures to himself after taking them, and everybody's immediate reaction was to coo at how cute and happy Tony looked. Everyone thanked Bucky for helping Tony, and they all rejoiced in a third success.

When everyone had turned back to their conversations, Steve leaned over to Bucky and whispered, "Really, thanks for stepping up. You did great."

"Thanks for being such a little shit when you were 95 pounds, never thought I'd need that experience to deal with another overgrown child," Bucky whispered back, earning a smack on the arm and a kiss from Steve.

"Get a room!" Clint taunted as he braided Nat's hair. The couple rolled their eyes and kissed again to annoy him. Nat chuckled, winking at the supersoldiers, before telling a story about the time Clint got stuck in a tree trying to retrieve a friend's cat.

The group told stories until they could barely stay awake, and Steve and Bucky called it a night first, going up to their room and getting ready to sleep before immediately passing out. Clint was left snoring in the fort, Nat picking him up and carrying him to bed, making sure to take out his hearing aids to avoid discomfort in the morning. Natasha, ever the night owl, walked down to Tony's workspace, and asked JARVIS to dispatch some bots to clean the mess. She watched them work for a while, quietly chatting with JARVIS until she nodded off in Tony's chair early into the morning. Nat slept there, too tired to produce nightmares, yet she still felt off somehow; she had grown used to Clint practically holding her like a giant teddy bear every night. Still, she got her rest for a few hours until she was woken by a sleepy Clint holding her like a rag doll in his arms, dragging her to bed. She could get used to that, she thought, as her consciousness drifted again and she fell back asleep.

~~~

Tony slept until ten that morning, a very unusual case. Normally, he'd drag himself out of bed around eight or nine and force himself down to the kitchen for the sake of Avenger bonding time. Once again, he felt well rested and found that not an ounce of anger was affecting him that morning. Everyone had already ate and was off doing their own things, which left Tony alone. He had breakfast (without being forced to, that was slowly becoming more common) and went to work on his suit again. 

Tony actually had a good day working on the suit. He was more careful and less on edge since his friends had begun helping him out. Only one thing went wrong the whole day, and it didn't bother him very much. By the end of the day, when Steve walked in to check on him, he was still energetic, singing along to Green Day and polishing the suit's helmet. Tony looked over and actually smiled at him, big and full of genuine happiness, not forced at all. Steve smiled back and collected him for dinner.

The group was in a great mood, everyone joking and laughing, none of the unspoken tension that usually littered the dining room when Tony walked in. After they ate, the whole group went to watch a movie, and once again, everything went right. That night everyone was careless and happy, a refreshing change from their regular uptight and paranoid demeanor. Everybody went to bed with fond memories in their heads.

However, all good things must end, and the next day, everything went bad again. The morning was fine, but in the afternoon, Tony had a meeting with Pepper and other Stark Industries employees that he couldn't care less about. It was clear that only Pepper had his side in anything, and everyone else in the room was trying their hardest to make Tony crack, to get him to let loose and break. Most people who had reached a high enough rank to be in a meeting with Tony Stark were not fans of him, and wanted to take his place in the company's involvement. While Pepper was CEO, Tony was still involved in decisions and received a decent salary. The ones in the room would give anything to be in his spot, and if he left, one of them would get it. Tony couldn't exactly be fired, so the next best thing was to literally drive him insane to the point of quitting. Pepper and Tony both knew this, but they couldn't exactly prove it, and every time someone was replaced, it was as if nothing changed at all.

By the end of the meeting, Tony was ready to commit homicide. Pepper could only help him so much before Tony chased her away and went home, seething. He knew she would kill him later, but he still stomped into the tower and glared at Steve when he raised an eyebrow at Tony's aggressive entrance. Tony just broke eye contact, stripped off his suit and loudly slammed the door to his lab, planning on hiding from everyone for the next month. 

Hours passed and Tony still hadn't calmed down. It was never a good idea to work while angry, as precision and rational thought were both down, but Tony did it anyway, making errors that added to his frustration and essentially creating a feedback loop that left him frustrated. When it was time for dinner, Steve came down to collect Tony, practically dragging him to eat, knowing that hunger was also contributing to his rotten mood. 

Dinner was once again tense and Tony picked at his food, avoiding eye contact with everyone and quietly stewing the whole time. The others at the table all shared glances and then stared at Steve. He nodded and when finished eating, he said, "Okay Tony, you're coming with me, we're going to my room."

"No."

"Tony."

"No."

"Tony, do you really want to fight me right now?"

"Yes."

"I wouldn't recommend that, buddy."

"I don't want your help, I'm fine."

"You are not fine."

"Whatever, I want to be alone."

"No."

"Fuck you."

"That's Bucky's job."

"You're gross."

"And you're being annoying, come with me."

"No."

At this response, Steve finally lost his patience and picked Tony up, quickly restraining him and carrying him up to his room. Tony was capable of getting out of Steve's hold, but he didn't. Steve smiled at this, knowing that Tony was being difficult, but not actually opposed to Steve's help. Tony liked to push things with those close to him. He liked to see how far he could shove them until they just gave up. However, his friends knew that, and they didn't take his shit, instead calling him out on it. Tony would never admit it to them, but he loves them for that. When someone has as much money and power as Tony, they are always being praised and endorsed, never hearing anything negative. It was good to have people around him who were genuine.

When they got to the room, Steve set Tony down on the bed and began to explain his plan. "So, you're pissed, and you need to forget about your issues for a little while and get some of that tension out. I have something that could work."

"Sure. What do you have in your mind anyway? Dancing?" Tony spat, still picking at Steve.

"Well, yeah actually. It makes you move around and get your energy out, and you can sing along to the music. Basically, it's a good time." Tony looked astonished at those words, in disbelief that Steve was expecting him to _dance_. It was so ridiculous.

"No way. Besides, I don't want to do some 40's swing anyways. Cute idea, but it sucks," Tony replied, crossing his arms.

"Who said anything about 40's music? JARVIS, turn on my playlist." Immediately after Steve said those words, "In Bloom" by Nirvana began playing in Tony's room. Tony jumped at the sudden music, and he stared in shock.

"You like music that's not dreadfully boring?"

"I'm just saying, the 40's is great and all, but music has gotten so much better now. Come on, dance with me, I know you like this song." Tony actually considered it for a moment, before he shook his head and remained on the bed. 

"Tony, come on, you'll have fun, promise. Dance with me, what do you have to lose?"

"My dignity."

"You lost it a long time ago, you have a bunch of videos on the internet that prove it."

" _What_ _???_ No, you stay far away from those, I can't handle the fact that America's golden boy has seen my sex tapes. Oh my god, I thought you still didn't know how to use a computer." Tony sputtered this out, feeling terrified and embarrassed. He hadn't felt that in a while. 

Steve laughed and said, "It's okay, I just stumbled onto them by accident, I didn't watch anything. I'm just trying to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, come on, dance with me."

"If it shuts you up..." Tony said, forcing the thought of what Steve had seen out of his head, getting up from the bed and walking toward Steve who grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. The two of them began to dance, and Tony was surprised that Steve was actually pretty good. They spun, sang, and moved around like it was their last night on Earth. Tony found himself laughing after a few minutes, and Steve was laughing with him, enjoying their silly dances. 

Steve taught Tony a dance he learned from Bucky, and Tony showed him one in return. They eventually ended up on "Love of my Life" by Queen, Steve holding Tony close and slow dancing with him. They had become tired by this time, and Tony softly sang along to the words, while swaying with Steve. The earlier anger had once again dissipated, and was replaced with a calm content feeling. When the song ended, Steve said, "JARVIS, stop the music."

"Where did you learn to dance?" Tony asked as he pulled away from Steve.

"Bucky taught me. He was always out dancing, it was a thing he did to keep us hidden. We would dance some nights in the apartment, when we were just being silly. Other nights we did it when I was pissed and had to get energy out in a way that wouldn't end in me getting beaten up." Steve explained this with a smile on his face, the memories playing in his head, making him feel a fondness for Bucky rising in his chest. 

"I guess that makes sense, I've seen you guys do it even now when you think you're alone. You guys are so damn cute, it's sickening." Tony responded, hopping onto the bed, smiling and patting the empty space next to him. "I know you're a super soldier, but you gotta be getting tired too. Lay down with me."

"Fine, but just for a bit, I told Clint I would play cards with him tonight. You're welcome to join." Steve climbed onto the bed, sighing as the soft mattress hit his back. The two lied there, talking about the team and Tony's meeting. Steve advised Tony to just fire all the people who didn't like him. There had to be plenty more people who were actually interested in their own jobs and not Tony's. Steve also advised Tony to apologize to Pepper the next day. She was one of his best friends and had enough on her plate already, dealing with Tony being something that was no longer mandatory, yet still being done out of care. Tony agreed and decided to bring that up with Pepper, then helped Steve come up with ideas for birthday presents for Bucky.

After half an hour of conversation, the two rose and went down to the kitchen, stealing some ice cream and sitting down with Clint, who was impatiently shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. He smiled at them when they approached, and they began to play a game of cards, Natasha joining them after a while. They all were much calmer now, and thoroughly enjoyed their card games into the night. 

~~~

The next day, after Tony had left to see Pepper, Clint, Nat, Steve, and Bucky all sat at the dining room table, discussing their plans. "So, everything worked pretty well, that much is clear," Natasha said, sipping a cup of tea.

"Yeah, but what do you think he liked the best?" Clint asked, eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes with coffee instead of milk. 

"I don't know, but everything we did had one common factor," Bucky responded, holding his hand out to Steve, who was painting his nails.

"Which was?" Steve asked, working on Bucky's nails.

"Physical contact and affection. We all touched him and showed him we cared the whole time we did things with him. I think the poor thing's just touch starved," Bucky replied.

"He has a point," Clint said through a mouth full of cereal.

"Well, we should just get closer to him then. He's clearly okay with us touching him. Hell, he fell asleep while we did it, and Tony does not sleep easy around other people unless he trusts them completely," Natasha proposed. 

"I guess we'll have to test that next, huh?" Steve said, giving Bucky's hand a kiss after finishing applying the polish, causing Clint glare at them and jokingly scold them for being disgustingly affectionate with each other. Everyone laughed, and carried on in conversation about Tony and other things.

~~~

They had developed a system after a while. Every time Tony had a bad or rough day, someone would help him figure it out, and their company made things much better. Occasionally, they would make a huge cuddle pile and rest together. As silly as it seemed, it made everybody feel safe and even closer, and those things were necessary to experience every once in a while in their field of work.

This is how Bruce and Thor found them when they returned from their trip to Asgard a few weeks later. The five of them were in the living room, buried in blankets and pillows, all holding each other and napping. Nat was spooning Clint, who was holding hands with Tony; Steve and Bucky had managed to tangle their legs together and were both softly snoring with Tony between them, their arms covering him protectively (except for the hand Tony got out that managed to hold Clint's). 

Bruce and Thor looked at each other, then back again at the group on the floor, before putting their stuff down and grabbing more pillows and blankets off the couch and lying down to join them. They must have missed out on a lot, but this new development was definitely not unwelcome. Things had been too tense anyway. Bruce wrapped himself up in Thor's arms and the two fell asleep. 

The seven of them napped on the floor, enjoying a brief moment of peace in their chaotic lives. After all, even Avengers need their rest.


End file.
